Went to DiFranco's with a friend because we both have to eat gluten-free and this place looked like the perfect combo of both safe and great. It was! My friend had the polenta, and usually I'm not a big fan but it looked divine, and I had some grain free pumpkin ravioli. It was incredible! I live up in the mountains and will DEFINITELY be making a stop at DiFranco's every time I go to Denver. I should add that I loved the atmosphere, giant table and the staff was very friendly and helpful. All around great experience! read more

The lunch menu initially seemed to provide a nice selection of entrees but, upon closer inspection, nothing stood out as something I really wanted to eat. I choose the Spaghetti Carbonara just because I have a very fond memory of enjoying that dish in Rome. I must say that they did an excellent job on the food and it was very authentic to the original recipe. The one thing that left me feeling like this had been a bad choice for my lunch break from work was the price. $18 (includes tip but no wine or other beverage) was much too much for a smallish portion of this simple peasant food. I might have been slightly less disappointed if there had been more pancetta in the bowl, but no such luck. Even food done well can be overpriced. I do intend to give them a second chance. But on a more special occasion and when I'm dining with friends. read more

Yet another 5 star rating on our dinner last night. The duck ravioli (one of the most decadent dishes we have ever eaten) was the highlight, followed closely by the lasagna (the best we have ever tasted). Our aspiring chef son (21) was truly inspired by your offerings. Another perfect Italian dinner from DiFranco's....nice work! read more

Hands-down the best spaghetti of my life. It is so FREAKIN GOOD! The meatball as delicious as well, and it's cooked more rare than other meatballs but oh la la! This is fantastic! I didn't know what the cast of Jersey shore was raving about when Vinnys mom would cook and Italian feast but now I do!!! read more

The food here was amazing. Everything is made fresh, pasta and all. Staff was friendly and it didn't take long for our food. Would highly recommend this place to all Italian lovers read more

Aaaahmazing meal. I'm gf and am always concerned about ordering from a new restaurant. The manager assured me that tongs and utensils get changed when working on gf meals. I had the gf fettuccine with a vodka prosciutto sauce that blew my socks off. We also had a Caesar salad with no croutons that was great as well. It was the best Italian meal I've had in quite some time. I'm looking forward to coming back and trying a gf sub or another pasta dish. The staff is also kind, knowledgeable and super friendly. Great meal and experience. read more

Another fabulous meal! Seasonal Special on menu although my favorite was the butternut squash ravioli with the house red! Yum! Out of town guest was super impressed. read more

Best Delivery Italian in Denver! Entrees are just right in size. Ingredients are so good! Whatever their Ravioli of the season is, just get it. Now I need to go check out the place in person. Hope it's great too! read more

Finally got to go to this restaurant. Wanted to go because of all the great reviews. Very disappointed- Mediocre at best. Very small plate of Carbonara was tasty but expense at $15.00 for what you get. Eggplant Parm was terrible - very bitter with an un-melted chunk of mozzarella on top. Meatballs - so-so. Wine was a very small pour and not very good either. Definitely will not be back. For those that said that DiFrancos is as authentic as a restaurant in Italy have never been to Italy or an Italian restaurant in New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Chicago, San Francisco or any city that has an Italian neighborhood. I don't understand all the 5 star reviews. We must have been there on an off day. read more

We arrived at DiFranco's on a cold winter's night craving Italian and were blown away at the quality of food that was available. From homemade pasta and sauce to ethically sourced meats, it checked off all the boxes for a five star review at a very affordable price! Some reviews have noted that the red sauce tasted sweet to them. I loved it. REALLY loved it. The spices used to flavor the sauce are understated and unique. Next time you're craving spaghetti and meatballs, just go here. You won't regret it! read more

Amazing restaurant!!! Best italian in Denver! After a launch prepared by Ryan, I'm missing Italy again! From pasta, to cotoletta panini, to ricotta cheese cookies and nutella icecream...everything wonderful and delicious! Try them all! A big hug from your italian family! read more

DiFranco's offers up a really neat experience in their "seasonal tasting parties". I attended one last evening and got a sneak peak of new items for their unique spring menu. The English Pea and Ricotta Ravioli were out of this world! I have been to DifFranco's several times for lunch and dinner and have always been wowed with the simple yet delicious menu options. The staff if very welcoming, friendly and make you feel like part of the "DiFranco's" family! High reviews in my books! read more

Five stars for food, three and a half for service. Used a Travelzoo voucher for dinner tonight. Had a little trouble getting in here before the voucher expired. Was out of town all of June, then stopped by on a Saturday evening to see that they aren't open on Saturdays for dinner, then came back on the night the coupon expired to see they had closed early for a private event. I called the next day and was told they would honor the voucher the following Monday-Wednesday. Third time was a charm, but a close one. We went an hour before closing and were the last ones they let order (the people behind us were told they were closing early). Tried to order the angel hair pasta, but they were out. Tried to order the sausage, but they were out, I tried to order the fettuccini and was told my husband got the last order. The server/cashier wasn't very apologetic. The bill came out to more than expected and I questioned it. The server said that my voucher had expired. I told her about the phone call and she got a little snippy, saying that I should have told her I had called. She said this several times, but did re-ring us up. Wasn't impressed at this point. Then the food came. I ordered a field greens salad, which was a nice portion size and lightly dressed. I had the penne with vodka sauce as an entree and it was delicious. Had to guard it from my husband. He had fettuccini with a spicy red sauce and a meatball. He liked my sauce better, but enjoyed the meatballs. He also enjoyed his garlic bread. Our plan next time is to phone in and take-out. Less chance of showing up to find it is closed. Also plan on ordering early before they run out of items. read more

By far my favorite Italian restaurant in Denver. SO amazing! The pasta is so fresh and the sauces are to die for. My boyfriend and I always split the tomato salad as and the staff is so accommodating that they always let me sub out the dishes with angel hair. I've never been disappointed! Food is great and service is even better. read more

This place is a gem! Very small kitchen, unpretentious decor and very friendly staff. Small menu but excellent food. Had a chicken Parmesan sandwich and it was delicious. Will be back. read more

Difranco’s - Chicken Parmesan sandwich. Delicioso! - Italian Near Me - Denver, Colorado

Yum! We visited DiFranco's for a quick lunch while exploring Denver. The restaurant had a trendy environment while still feeling relaxed like a mom and pop. We started with the dipping oil and freshly baked bread. After tasting how amazing the bread was, I knew we were in store for a delicious entree. I ordered the Spaghetti with a good sized meatball. The portions were perfect for lunch and still full of flavor. We topped our lunch off with chocolate chip cannolis, which is definitely a must have when visiting! read more

Difranco’s - Spaghetti and meatball! - Italian Near Me - Denver, Colorado

Such great food and wonderful staff! My favorite spot for great food! Charlie is super helpful and very knowledgeable about all the food and ingredients. read more

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The stuffed shells with pesto and sausage are amazing! Everything was super tasty and fresh. Will definitely be back

The Gnocchi with short rib was incredible. The reduction gravy... omg. Loved the food and atmosphere. Excellent service. You feel like a part of the family. read more

Homemade pasta and desserts, fresh salads (with yum-yummy dressings!), menu variety, take out options and friendly staff...this place is GREAT! Everything we ordered was absolutely delicious and if you're vegetarian or not, there are awesome options on the menu. The spaghetti, fettuccini, eggplant Parmesan, watermelon salad, arugula Caesar- all delicious and fresh! And, don't miss the ricotta cookies! This is such a great option and so happy they have implemented COVID safe protocols and offering online order, take out and delivery. Way to go, DiFranco's! read more

Holy Ravioli, guys. I've been thinking about checking this place out for ages, ever since I stumbled across their menu in a random internet hole, but I keep forgetting to go out for dinner on wednesdays. Not tonight; for some reason, I remembered tonight. The place is small and unassuming (reminds me of my favourite deli back in DC, actually) and you order at the counter. You're met by the friendliest person, who explains the date night special (available on wednesdays) and lets you sit while you make your decisions. Get a reservation, the place seems to fill up fast. The special includes two salads (which were really yummy, even boyfriend ate his even though he normally doesn't like raw vegetables) any two entrees, and two cannoli plus a bottle of house red or white wine. I chose the butternut squash ravioli. Boyfriend got the penne with prosciutto vodka sauce. We both thought we won the entree battle, which is the ideal situation, really. The ravioli was melt-in-your-mouth fresh, and prepared with an absolutely phenomenal brown butter and sage sauce that I don't think will ever be matched, with some inexplicable brown sugar crunchies that just completed the dish in a way I wouldn't think possible. It was absolutely transcendent. Boyfriend's penne was also very good - not as sweet, but very savoury and something I would look forward to ordering on a future visit. The wine was, for a house wine, surprisingly good. We got the red, to complement our dishes. And, I'm not a huge fan of cannoli, but we got one traditional and one pumpkin, and both were quite good. I think this place will become a staple. Just so, so, so good. Not even good "for the price" but just good all around. read more

This was the first stop when visiting Denver and it was great. The restaurant has a nice setup where you order at the counter and see a display of fresh pastas and desserts. The pastas all looked amazing but I went with the sandwich special for $10. I had a meatball sub and ricotta cookies which were delicious. read more

Went here with some girlfriends and the food was amazing!! It was very casual and you actually order at a counter but it was all so delicious! If you're looking for a bougie or romantic spot, this really isn't the place but if you're looking for a bomb homemade Italian meal, then I highly recommend this place. The chicken parm was delicious and they have the best meatballs I have ever tasted in my life! The desserts were also fantastic! I can't wait to come back! read more

So I'm in Denver for the Panthers game, my first time here, and as an east coast foodie was excited to see what all the mile high city had for my tastebuds. Boy am I glad I stopped here. I ordered the seasonal pasta, corn ravioli with pablano chili braised beef, and to quote Christopher Walken, "wowie wow wow" I will definitely be stopping here the next til I'm in Denver....... also possibly tomorrow haha read more

Cute welcoming restaurant featuring homemade pasta! We got the alfredo pasta, the chicken parm, and the garlic bread and I was not disappointed. The chicken parm was crispy, juicy, and had at least two different kinds of cheeses on it. The bread was freshly baked and the olive oil on it was of high quality. Both sauces were flavorful and I loved that the Alfredo sauce wasn't too thick. The pasta of course was amazing and cooked to perfection. I also love the open kitchen concept where you can see everything being made. read more

Great food owned by a great guy!!! Whether it is take out or dinning in; you will love it!! I love the vodka sauce!!! read more

Took my wife here (after searching Yelp for Italian restaurants) for our 16th anniversary. All the reviews and photos looked so good, we had to try it. It's not a very formal place, but it definitely has kind of a Euro vibe in the way it's set up, which both my wife and I liked after both having lived overseas. The amazing food only adds to that vibe. I used to live with a Greek chef who would cook this sort of stuff. It really reminded me of that. Italian food that was just phenomenal. We started with a Caesar salad for me, and my wife got the Burrata cheese plate with pesto and grilled bread. My Caesar had some rocket leaves (arugula) in it (a nice touch which made it stand out for a Caesar), and had perfect homemade croutons. All the right elements. My wife's little plate was fantastic, too. The Burrata was perfect and the pesto had some mild heat from the chili added in--a great touch. Frankly, those two dishes with the additional bread plate they gave us (with an olive oil and balsamic dipping mix on the side) would have been enough (the bread plate came with a couple of wedges of a hard cheese and a few olives, too). In fact, next time we go back, we figured we'd just share those things again if they keep them on the menu. Of course, if they change it up, no worries. I think it's safe to say that I trust their taste in food. Just a great sampling of delicious Italian. I did also get the spaghetti with a breaded chicken cutlet on the side (which also came with a small cup of red sauce), and that cutlet...oh, man. Brilliant. Perfectly seasoned and breaded. Honestly though, after having all of these other amazing favors swirling around in my mouth, the spaghetti did come off a bit too subtly for my tastes, but it was still a very well-made dish. I thought if I had tried it first I might have been much more interested. Honestly, though, I was too into the other stuff. That cutlet! Anyway, my wife had an apricot beer with it all, and I washed mine down with my favorite Pelligrino Italian lemon soda. Another nice Euro touch. Lastly, the girl working the counter very graciously gave us a couple of their cannoli as a gift for our anniversary. Very nice little dessert. The staff was altogether very cool and took great care of us. This place is definitely one of my new faves. We had a nice little evening there. Their love for what they do really shows. And how can you not love that Mediterranean food, man? We'll definitely be back. Cheers. read more

Outstanding Italian place with home made everything. The watermelon, arugula , goat cheese salad was "to die for". Homemade pastas, Italian sausages do meatballs. Homemade gelato , lemon cookies. I am visiting from Raleigh and I would eat at this place weekly if it was back home. Real gem Denver!!! read more

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Eating at DiFranco's was an inviting, pleasant and delicious experience. I had the spaghetti with an extra side of the Italian sausage (perfectly spicy) and my date enjoyed the Penne. Both were served in just the perfect amount for a dinner serving. The Pinot Grigio and Caesar salad were both nice additions to a spaghetti and meatball/sausage dinner I had been craving for a month .... this time I was not disappointed read more

Ordered spaghetti and two meatballs.Most awful tasting and prepared dish I have ever eaten in Denver. The food arrived cold, the pasta was curly-cued into a ball, sauce was arribata plus ( Way too spicy and under flavored, dry). The meatballs were also dry, very spicy, almost too spicy to eat. They included one small piece of wonderbread, that was flavorless. My bill for this awful dish and presentation was over @20.00. How this restaurant can still operate with it's offensive and pitiful food is a mystery. ANY other restaurant or cafeteria, diner or canned Chef Boyardee, would be better choice and a lot less expensive. read more

Don't know why it took me so long to try this place. It's truly fantastic. All the noodles besides the penne are homemade and the dishes are just delightful. The spaghetti and meatballs were great, but the real highlight was the butternut squash ravioli. If you get anything here, get that freaking dish. It's amazing. read more

I'm pretty surprised this place has such a high rating. I've given it a shot a few times to be fair, and I can say with some confidence now that I don't ever need to go back. I understand the concept of fairly quick, casual, fresh counter service, and the place looks nice and clean, however the food, and the price for the food, are both disappointing. I could go point by point about the short comings but I will focus on two. The tomato sauce used on the meatball/chicken parm sandwiches and probably some other dishes, is so incredibly over sweet, to the point of being kind of gross. It looks like they make it in house but man, its just not good at all. I'd be more than surprised to see a group of Italians try that sauce and give it any type of praise. On top of that the bread: also incredibly disappointing, seemingly low quality, and again, sweet (?!). The whole time I was eating the chicken parm sandwich I was thinking about 3 things: 1) how the overwhelming sweetness made for a rather unpleasant experience 2) how I paid way too much for a small portion of underwhelming food, and 3) I could make such a better chicken parm sandwich in my own kitchen. read more

This place is legit. When you walk in it doesn't look fancy or special, but everyone in our party was thoroughly impressed with our meals. I absolutely loved the flavorful, deliciously rich butternut squash and pork ravioli. Service was friendly. I can't wait to come back for the Wednesday dinner special, to buy some handmade pasta for cooking at home, for happy hour, or to try their Nutella gelato. Yum all around! read more

The food was delicious. The prices were pretty good. I love fresh made pasta and the House made Italian sausage and meatballs were amazeballs! The staff was friendly and the restaurant has a very family vibe to it. read more

I chose DiFrancos due to my pregnant cravings telling me this was a MUST have ASAP lol. The ambience of DiFranco's is nice. The gentleman working the counter was very kind and knowledgeable. The food was meh and really pricey. I ordered the Alfredo which is only served on their winter menu. The Alfredo was $15 and some change plus a $3 tip came out to $20, no drink. I thought that was much for a place I'm not getting waited on other then dropping my food off. The sauce was pretty watery and a little bland- definitely lackluster and not packing that "Omg... wow I'll take a plate to go!" I was looking for. I ordered a chicken parm sandwich to go for my boyfriend and was told they were out of baguettes so ciabatta will be the substitute. $12 sandwich that was maybe the size of my palm. I wish i took a photo! Needless to say, he was pretty disappointed with it. I took a bite as well and it was flavorless and boring. I'm going to second everyone's review who said they don't understand the hype. 2 stars for the ambience and kindness of the staff. 1 star for the food being fresh! I won't be back, but happy I at least tried it. read more

I went here for my first time yesterday and loved EVERYTHING. All fresh, all delicious. Can't believe it took me this long to check it out! I was pleased to see the mini market side, fresh pastas, deserts....can't wait to try out everything else on the menu! read more

I love DiFranco's. Every meal I have there is better than the last. I had the butternut squash ravioli tonight, it was the best ravioli I have ever eaten. The atmosphere is great and the staff amazing. read more

I crave the food here. The first time I visited DiFranco's, I ordered the hand rolled angel hair with spicy tomato sauce and an extra side of meatballs (I judge Italian restaurants on their meatballs... and these are AMAZING). A few visits later, I still haven't ordered anything else because I can't get enough of this dish. read more

Awesome!!! Two thumbs up, way up! I should have photographed my lunch for this review but was too busy gobbling it down. Best ever and I'll be back. read more

Difranco’s - On Lincoln - Italian Near Me - Denver, Colorado

I've been in this place at least 10 times and I would still go. Love the food and atmosphere but I wish they serve more than a little piece of bread and more than one meatball in your spaghetti. Other than that I do recommended as flavored are always amazing! read more